


And The Current Carries Us Forward

by Overthinkerwrites



Category: Ava's Demon
Genre: Assisted Masturbation, Cunnilingus, Distant Time Skip, Empathy, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Mutual heartbreak, One-Sided Attraction, Poor Life Decisions, Post Ending, broken relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 17:21:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17666837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Overthinkerwrites/pseuds/Overthinkerwrites
Summary: A mutual understanding of the emotional pain people feel can often lead to much needed resolution and healing.





	And The Current Carries Us Forward

The passage of time seemed to be more of a dull blur than the immutable forward progression Ava Ire initially believed it to be.  
  
Then again, there was not much for her to do or be at this point. Titan, along with any of his most notable enemies, was a distant memory and to the Covetess of the city she currently resided in, she was an anomaly.  Despite the resurgence of the Vengess after Titan’s defeat, they were still a rarity among the many varied races of the cluster.  
  
Dressed in a more comfortable variant of her stardust garments; simple jacket, slacks, and shirt, she sat on a chair on the walkway that hugged the beach. Her gaze hopped from the gaggle of Covetess children playing in the surf, to the elder speaking to what was a pair of Florani travelers, and mostly, the pair of Covetess women that sat next to each other too closely for Ava’s liking.  
  
She frowned and turned back to the ocean where the rest of the Covetess Metropolis in the distance rose out of the sea and into space. The angles and bubble shaped architecture failed to provide the distraction she needed to forget the two reminded her of a scene she would have rather forgotten.  
  
In her hand was a data pad with the last two messages she had written and received.  
  
‘Nevy,’ her last message said before she embarked, ‘do you mind if I we speak face to face? Something’s been bothering me and you’re the only one I can trust.’  
  
‘Not at all. However, I can’t say exactly where I am.  The only place I was able to reside is not entirely welcoming to me for… obvious reasons. I’ll give you coordinates and I’ll find you when you arrive,’ Nevy’s reply answered.  
  
What few contacts that could even remember her informed Ava that the person she sought lived here as a mystic. Maybe. Nevy had proven to be rather elusive after Titan’s defeat. All of the ‘demons’, if she was honest.  Save for Wrathia. But then again, she was always eager to be the center of attention.  
  
Ava’s frown grew larger and hotter at the memory of their last meeting that came unbidden. She shook her head before the details came back with the adjacent pains in her chest.  
  
She stood up, smoothed off her clothes and made her way to the transport hub. Her shuttle arrived. As it lifted off and to the city, she held back a snort at the memory of hers and Nevy’s first chance to talk.  
  
*  
  
Ava sighed loudly as she lay down in a part of her library mindspace that Wrathia hadn’t touched yet. She needed time to regenerate and until she was ready, she was more or less trapped there. It was so boring! Next to Wrathia, there was no one to talk to.  
  
“Hello?” Came a voice from her right. She turned to see Nevy Nervine, somehow able to enter her mindspace, and in the form where they first met.  
  
Either way, Ava squeaked in fright, then scrambled off the makeshift bed and into one of the large, nearby drawers.  
  
The display caused Nevy to lose her balance, but righted herself as Ava peeked at her from a hole in the drawer.  
  
“Please!” Ava whined, “Don’t scramble my brain again!”  
  
The plea caught Nevy off guard again. “Why would I ever…” she paused when she remembered their first encounter and when she reclaimed her memories. Ava had been an accidental bystander in her fury against Wrathia. She then took a step back and looked down.  
  
“I…” she paused a moment, “I acted rashly and you were caught in the wave. It was never my intention to cause you pain, Ava.”  
  
Ava still recoiled and didn’t move in the drawer.  
  
“However, I did. Whether I meant to or not, I brought you pain and I have no excuse for that. I am sorry for what I’ve done and it shall not happen again.” She looked up slightly. “If it is not too forward of me,” she clasped her hands together at her waist, “could we start over?”  
  
Ava was still wary. However, cautiously, she crawled out of the drawer, tumbled to the ground, and to her feet.  
  
“If, if you won’t scramble my brain again, I think… I could… maybe,” she stopped a foot away from the drawer and Nevy nodded in understanding.  
  
“I won’t.  You have my word.” She stepped back to let Ava know that she would respect her space.  
  
Ava was still suspicious, however, she then took a pillow from the drawer she hid in, put in on the ground and sat on it. She gestured to her make shift bed for Nevy to sit    
  
Nevy smiled hopefully, then sat demurely on the pile of pillows.  
  
“I’m… I’m Ava,” she said, if that was really what Nevy wanted to do.  
  
“I’m Nevy,” she answered with a hand to her collarbone, “pleased to meet you, Ava.”  
  
*  
  
Here and there, she got the odd stare from one of the many Covetess that flooded the walkways. Thankfully, something like that did not bother her now the way it did when she was younger. And human. Many, many years ago.  
  
Through the crowds, she walked deeper into the heart of the city as the sounds of the enduring Covetess civilization sang all around her.  She could not  help but smile at the idea that she would ever have found herself among them back in the day. She had only read about them from the purposefully vague textbooks from the reeducation planet she was forced to grow up on.  
  
Thanks to Wrathia. Her mood went sour again. Thankfully, it did not last long as she came upon the humble shrine located near a residential quarter. It did not surprise Ava to see it shaped like a seashell. At least Covetess were consistent.  
  
The stares grew in number as she edged her way out of the crowd and into the foyer of the temple. Covetess nuns of several sub-species did not share the  same curiosity or scrutiny of their peers outside.  
  
“Greetings, Vengess,” an elder nun, that came from a strain that had crossbred with a Florani were one to judge by the plankton shaped frills out of her hair, approached her with several scrolls in her hands, “to what do we owe this visit?”  
  
Ava forced a smile. “Hello,” she nodded with a her hands exposed to show her palms and her intent according to Covetess customs, “I’ve been searching for someone and was told that maybe she resides here.”  
  
The nun furrowed her brow. “That may be the case, as we often get pilgrims from time to time. What is she called?”  
  
Ava took a breath.  “Nevy Nervine?”  
  
Everything around her went silent.  
  
Eyes from every angle seemed to shrink her presence and her confidence as the nun answered with leveled eyes.  
  
“We do not speak that name.  And if you know what is good for you, Vengess, you will abandon your search.”  
  
The fire in Ava’s gut returned.  Strangers that gave her orders often found themselves burnt to a pile of ash.    
  
“And why not? Wasn’t she the one who saved you all from Titan?”  
  
The nun was not deterred. “The Covetess have endured worse.  The stars are the ocean the Covetess thrive in. So long as the Endless Sea of Stars exists, so too shall we. Now, go in peace, Vengess.  We have nothing more to discuss.”  
  
A much younger Ava would have used brute force to showcase how precarious their situation was. Ava had leveled planets far larger than this one. Yet, experience had taught her when to pick her battles. And this was not one of them.  
  
She huffed quietly. “Very well.”  
  
After she exited the temple, she turned back and frowned for a moment.  
  
“Are they really holding a grudge this long?” She mumbled aloud.  
  
“I’m afraid so,” a new voice answered from behind her. She whirled to find another nun, perhaps older than the one she spoke to a moment ago, had not only snuck up on her, but had overheard Ava’s thoughts. “We do understand the lengths that Shja Nervine went to save us, however, many lost loved ones because of her actions. While we are grateful, many cannot forgive.”  
  
 Ava leveled her eyes. “And you?”  
  
The nun smiled. “It has taken most of my life, but yes, I have forgiven Shja Nervine. It is not an easy subject to broach amongst our kind.”  
  
Ava could not find a proper answer to the nun’s explanation and simply nodded. “Do you have any idea where she might be?”  
  
The nun clapped her hands happily. “Oh yes! Shja Nervine has told me of your visit, Zhja Ire. Please, follow me.”  
  
“Wait, Nevy was expecting me?” Ava asked as she followed the nun further into the residential quarter.  
  
“Of course.  Shja Nervine has been perfectly clairvoyant about many things,” the nun’s smile faltered a bit, “granted, exactly when they happen is another matter.”  
  
Ava snickered briefly. One would have thought that after their first encounter, Ava would have done everything she could to avoid Nevy. However, Nevy turned out to be one of the first friends among the demons she had made.  
  
And one of the only friends she had ever made.  
  
The rest of the Deadly Sinners and their respective demons had their own problems and becoming friends with social recluse, Ava Ire, was none of their objectives.  
  
The nun brought her to what could ostensibly have been a smaller version of the temple she had been to. However, to her surprise, there were more Covetess there than the other place. Laughter, singing, and dancing flooded her senses when they entered.  
  
Ava took in the celebration around her, not to mention the joy of others at the nun’s return, complete with favored greetings and embraces, and turned to her guide. “Are you sure Nevy’s here?”  
  
The nun smiled and nodded enthusiastically and led her to the back.  
  
In an alcove, partially shut off from the rest of the people, the nun turned to her and spoke with a more familiar voice, “I am glad you are here, Ava.”  
  
Ava blinked and took a step back. Immediately, the nun shed her skin akin to a reptile and to Ava’s shock, Nevy stood in her place in similar attire.    
  
“Wait,” Ava stammered, “since when did…”  
  
Nevy gave her an amused smile. “Never trust a spiritual leader who doesn’t dance.”  
  
Again, Ava could not give a proper response. Nevertheless, she smiled, walked up to Nevy and took her hand.  
  
“Likewise… though, I can wager a guess that you know why I’m here.”  
  
Nevy’s face became solemn as she nodded. She inclined her head to the back, which was more sequestered from the celebration outside. “This way.  We can speak in private there.”  
  
Ava followed and took in the many colors of Nevy’s room that almost blinded her with colors. It was not large, but hardly cramped.  
  
Nevy took a seat on her bed while Ava took a chair that sat across the room from her.  
  
“The Gods have shown me your restlessness. You have wandered ever since Titan’s defeat. Without a path, without purpose,” Nevy stated as she took out her obsidian and pearl rosaries and held them between her hands.  
  
Ava nodded. “That’s… putting it mildly.” Her postured faltered, aware this would not end well, but it had to go there.  
  
Nevy looked up to her guest. “It was Wrathia, again.  Wasn't it?”  
  
Ava’s lips thinned and she nodded again as her hands clenched.  
  
“I am unsure whether I should be privy to such information,” Nevy said as she weaved the beads of her obsidian rosary through the fingers of her left hand.  
  
Ava looked up to her. “I can trust you, though, can’t I?” Her voice began to crack as discomfort welled in her chest.  
  
“You can, Ava.  However, I do not consider myself properly equipped to help you with what ails your mind and heart,” Nevy said wisely as the pearl rosary mingled with the obsidian.  
  
Ava sighed as she looked to the ground. “I… of course.  Sorry.  I just… I just don’t know what to do. I need someone to talk to about this. It's eating me up inside.”  
  
She looked up when. Nevy knelt in front of her and took her hands, still weaved with the rosary. “I know of someone that can show you the path of what you can do. However, you must be the one that traverses it.  And you may have to go it alone.  Will this be acceptable?”  
  
Ava was quiet a long and uncomfortable moment.  
  
She then nodded. “I’ll do it. I have nothing to lose, after all.”  
  
Nevy stood. “Good,” she then brought Ava to her feet, ”the Gods have brought you here for a reason. All you and I can do is trust in their sights beyond sight. And hope for the best.”  
  
Ava fought the urge to clasp Nevy’s hands harder and nodded again.  
  
“We shall meet them tomorrow.  Also, you may stay with me, if you’d like,” the warmth returned to her face as she looked to the entrance, “now, then.  Shall we join the festivities?”  
  
Ava allowed herself to smile again, stood, with Nevy’s hands still in her own, and followed her back to the party as the latter changed back into her disguise.  
  
Nevy was a joyful dancer, Ava had found.  Much different than the solemn Covetess she had gotten to know all those years ago.  
  
*  
  
Some years after their initial meeting, Ava found herself in the seaside of Gil’s mindspace. She was secretly jealous at how pretty it was.  
  
She turned to her right to observe Nevy do the same with the surf not too far from where they were.  
  
Nevy was often pensive whenever they met to speak. She preferred to listen, which suited Ava just fine as she was often the one who had to listen to others.  
  
“Hey, Nevy?” Ava turned from her seat on the rock she sat on and to her companion.  
  
“Hmm?” Nevy turned from the sea to her.  
  
“It’s been a while, but I don’t think I ever found out or not but, remember when we first met, there was something I always wondered.” she scratched the back of her head, aware she beat around the bush more than she needed to.  
  
“What would that be?”  
  
It was now or never. “Were you and Wrathia a thing? Because before I met you, Wrathia mentioned you by name. And, ya know, judging how pretty you are and the fact that she considers you one of her strongest warriors, I would have thought that you two may have had something.”  
  
Nevy quickly turned morose. She looked to the ground a moment before she nodded. “Yes.”  
  
Ava held back a gasp as she realized she may have asked something that was a bit too private.  
  
“When we were younger, we were quite enamored with each other for a while,” she closed her eyes as tears slowly built up, “it didn’t last.”  
  
“Oh no!” Ava panicked and looked everywhere for something to distract from the mistake she had made. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bring that up! I’m sure you didn’t need to tell me or anyone that.”  
  
“It’s alright,” Nevy looked up to her sadly, “it’s long past now.”  
  
Ava knew she had to tread lightly, but continued nonetheless. “But it still hurts, doesn’t it?”  
  
Nevy nodded. “It’s a dull ache at this point. However, I am still learning to let it go.”  
  
Ava looked from the ground to her a few times before she crawled off the rock, to Nevy’s side and took her hand to squeeze it gently. “If it means anything, you’re not alone.”  
  
Nevy smiled slightly. “Thank you.”  
  
*  
  
It was strange to Ava to wake up with the sun in her eyes, even with the layer of sea water above and around the guest room she slept in. It also surprised her that Nevy had the space to accommodate her, yet, didn’t feel the need to point that out.  
  
A plate of food left for her, a bath of fresh water, and a change of clothes, robes worn by other Covetess priestesses she assumed, later, she sat outside the entrance to Nevy’s home.  
  
In the decades, if not centuries, after Titan’s defeat, people watching had become one of the few things she could find herself at ease with. With a glance, she could make some educated guesses as to the story of the person she observed.    
  
It was all in the details of the individual she found fascinating. A frayed shirt.  A visible scar. A hunched or straight back. It was in the odd chance she spoke with the person in question did she find her assumptions correct or wrong.  
  
“Ire,” a familiar woman’s voice brought Ava out of her thoughts and she blinked at her guest. The short black hair with the white stripe, blackened suit coat, and an ever knowing smile.  
  
“Wait, Magpie?” Ava got to her feet, still surprised that she remained taller than the last Arrow sibling.  
  
“Indeed,” she answered confidently, “Nevy informed me she had a guest that needed my assistance, but imagine my surprise to find it’s the infamous ‘The Wrath’ herself.”  
  
Ava struggled to find the right words. Her and Magdalai’s relationship, while tense, never seemed to result in the conflict she experienced with all the other hosts. Or at least, none that she was aware of.  
  
“I wasn’t aware you were here after Titan-Fall. What about your family? Your world? Odin, Raven, and Crow?” While she knew there were problems between Odin and his siblings, they still watched out for each other, in their own way.  
  
Magpie shrugged her shoulders. “What does it matter? My brothers and sisters all have their own lives to deal with. I got mine. And I’m, for lack of a better phrase, free.”  
  
Ava remembered Magdalai’s confrontations with Olai and Odin. It was not a pleasant memory, to say the least.  
  
“Besides,” Magpie interrupted, “we’re not here for me.  We’re here for you.” She gestured to the entrance of Nevy’s home. “Shall we?”  
  
Ava nodded apprehensively. Part of her had an uncomfortable feeling that this was not to end well.  
  
*  
  
“Nervine,” Magdalai nodded cordially.  
  
“Arrow,” Nevy answered in kind.  
  
“If I may,” Ava interrupted, ‘isn’t it rather coincidental that we should all meet here of all places and now?”  
  
“Not necessarily,” Magdalai took a seat and took out a notepad from her coat, “I’ve been working with the Covetess as part of my research in Xenopsychology. And if it just so happens that the once High Biofluxite Priestess herself lives amongst her own kind, then yes, it is safe to call it an accident.”  
  
Nevy, her hands crossed in her lap in a chair of her own, added, “As I stated the day before; my clairvoyance lets me see what needs to happen, not when it does.  And yet, here we are.”  
  
Ava was still unsure. She looked to Nevy, who noticed her fear, lifted her chair and sat it next to Ava.  
  
“Ava,” Nevy asked her with all sincerity, “do you trust me?”  
  
It took Ava a moment to recall everything that had happened between them since their first meeting all those years ago.  
  
Yes, Nevy did probe her mind and subjected her to horrors that few deserved to witness. However, Nevy made amends and eventually developed a rapport with her.  
  
It was just before Titan-Fall Ava had declared, in secret, to Nevy, and Nevy alone, that she was the first person she had allowed herself to trust.  
  
Nevy had not broken that trust, even after their separation.  
  
Ava nodded. “I do.”  
  
Magdalai clapped her hands. “Excellent. Shall we begin?”  
  
*  
  
Ava took a deep breath.  
  
“Why me?  What did I do to deserve this?”  
  
“What exactly is the ‘this’ you’re referring to?” Magdalai asked as her gaze jumped from the notepad in her hands to Ava.  
  
Ava felt the pressure in her chest begin to return in force. “I… my pact with Wrathia. I was supposed to get a new life. A life where people were my friends, where people loved me, and would miss me.”  
  
“What exactly happened?” Magdalai probed mechanically.  
  
“After Titan fell, and Wrathia and her court restored to life, I came to collect,” her frown started to grow, “of course, Wrathia did the exact same thing she did before when I first made the pact.”  
  
“It wasn’t the life you wanted, was it?”  
  
Ava clenched her fists. “That's the understatement of the fucking century,” she growled as her skin began to glow hot, her sclera red, and her claws sharpened.  
  
“She lied to me again,” fire began to flicker from her palms, “she said that I now had a new life, since we were no longer pacted, I could go my own way and start over. Just like that. She left me with nothing.  No, worse than nothing.  She took what I wanted most from my old life.”  
  
Nevy’s gaze became downtrodden. She knew. “Magnolia.”  
  
Magdalai cocked an eyebrow. “Wait, Tuls’ host? Hmm. I assumed that you two had a history together, but I never realized just how far back it went.”  
  
Ava didn’t look up to her. “We were the only thing the other had when we were kids. Wrathia made life miserable, but Maggie made it bearable. That is…”  
  
“…until Wrathia soured that as well, didn’t she?” Magdalai completed for her.  
  
Ava nodded. “I thought that it would never come to what I saw. When our pact completed, I looked for Maggie.  And, unfortunately, I found her.”  
  
*  
  
The spell Ava had crafted from Wrathia’s memories allowed her to send her sight far and wide. With it, she was able to find a trail of Wrathia’s presence which led to her location so she could discover where Maggie had gone to.  
  
Abbadon. The Vengess’ new homeworld after Titan’s defeat and Wrathia’s revival.  
  
Her projection noted the contrast between the lush plantlife that was able to thrive, despite the many flowing rivers of molten lava. Somehow, it seemed appropriate for Wrathia, she noted dourly.  
  
The trail of Wrathia’s aura led Ava to the large palace, another sign of her unrelenting ego. She huffed to herself. The sooner she was able to get in touch with that awful woman and finish her business, the better. When Ava made it clear she wanted nothing more to do with Wrathia, she meant it. She mentally prepared herself for having to endure the revived Empress’ hot air as she reached through the walls and into the heart of the castle.  
  
Through the throne room and into the deeper recesses of the structure, she wrinkled her nose at the smell of Wrathia’s aura as its intensity increased. From what she could remember, her aura always got more pungent whenever she was in the middle of another tryst with Pedri.  Though, ever since Pedri had died, again, she wondered whom Wrathia had chosen to take her second husband’s place. She pitied the poor fool, whoever it was. They’d most likely meet the same fate as the other two.  
  
She took a mental breath to prepare herself for an uncomfortable conversation when she finally entered through the wall. She paused a moment to notice a skull tossed to the side amid a pile of clothes. It took her a moment to realize that it was Pedri’s! Whoever was here had murdered Pedri! That left her more ill at ease and when she looked up and gasped.  
  
On the bed, sat Wrathia, bereft of clothes, as she groped an equally nude Maggie, who kissed her eagerly.  
  
Ava held her hands to her face in shock and horror. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t possible!  
  
Between kisses, Wrathia’s eyes landed on her as she drew Maggie in closer as a smirk grew on her lips. Wrathia was aware of her presence, Ava realized to her surprise as an ache started to well in her chest.  
  
As if to rub salt in the wound, Wrathia then tossed Maggie upon the bed, crawled over her and kissed her again. Maggie’s arms reached up around Wrathia’s shoulders and raked her nails into the glowing skin as she moaned loud enough for Ava to hear.  
  
Ava shook her head and held her hands to her face as Wrathia began to descend down Maggie’s body as she left marks of magic on her delightfully brown skin with each kiss.  
  
Maggie arched her back as Wrathia held her hips against the sheets and continued her attention at Maggie’s entrance as Ava started to sniff.  
  
The tears in Ava’s eyes began to surface more rapidly as Maggie held Wrathia’s head between her legs.  
  
“Thia, please,” Maggie moaned as she struggled for breath as her right hand reached down to take Wrathia’s left and hold onto it dearly.  
  
Ava covered her eyes.  Why was she still here?  Why did she torture herself like this?!  
  
“Thia!” Maggie cried again as her body trembled and shook as she curled her toes.  When it was over, Wrathia crawled back up and kissed a sweaty and thoroughly satisfied Maggie again, who embraced her hungrily.  
  
“NO!” Ava’s scream would have shook the castle had it been in the physical plane, but instead shook Ava out of the trance and back to her singular room in another galaxy.  
  
Ava panted and sobbed as she tumbled off of the small mattress she used to give her support to channel the spell she had used. For so many years, she had kept the tears and crying inside, only to let it burst out right then and there.  
  
*  
  
Ava gripped her other fist tightly as she resisted the urge to dig her nails into her skin. It had taken centuries to learn this kind of self-control and she had no intention of burning Nevy’s home down.  
  
“Well, then,” Magdalai noted with a cocked eyebrow and several notes written on her tablet, “certain didn’t expect that.”  
  
“She and Maggie tried, repeatedly, to fix their friendship, however, so much had happened,” Nevy noted as one of her hands came to rest on Ava’s shoulder to give her an encouraging squeeze, “not to mention Wrathia continued to sabotage their interactions even after they both knew the truth.”  
  
“I know I don’t have any claim on her or any right to think of what she should do, but…” Ava began to sob, “it just hurts so much that the woman that was my only friend, threw herself into the bed of the woman who tormented us both for years! I don’t understand.”  
  
“Hmm,” Magdalai closed her eyes a moment and held her open hand to her face in thought, “if I remember right, Maggie’s particular boon and bane was lust wasn’t it?”  
  
Ava nodded. It got her into so much trouble, but Ava couldn’t really blame her, given all they had gone through.  
  
“Without Ms. Lacivi here to answer for herself, I can only speculate, but I think that as the years passed, her sin evolved into something more apropos. Instead of a lust for just love or intimacy, it also developed a lust for power. Something Wrathia, clumsy as she was with it, had in abundance. Given that, it was a gamble Lacivi was willing to take. Again, I may be wrong, but that would be a possible reason why she would easily give herself over to the woman, who frankly, was responsible for a lot of the misery you two experienced.”  
  
It made sense. Though, Ava wondered if she could really trust her own judgment at this point. She had been wrong on so much else.  
  
“So, what do I do to not feel like this anymore?” she asked through the tears.  
  
Magdalai smiled. “Oh, Ava. If only were it so easy. This event clearly left a mark on you and it’s clearly weighing you down. And if seems that even with the passage of time, you keep picking at it like a pus filled scab.”  
  
Ava blinked and frowned. And not just because of the metaphor. “What are you saying?”  
  
Magdalai’s grin did not falter. “I am saying that you want to keep the wound fresh.  You want to continue to hold onto a past that, frankly, has provided no benefit to you whatsoever.” She snapped her fingers and in the center of the room, an illusion of Maggie appeared and smiled.  
  
“Let’s say she was here now.  After all you had seen. What would you say?  And please, be honest,” Magdalai chided gently.  
  
Ava looked from Magdalai and to the illusion of Maggie and her frown grew hot again.  
  
“How could you?” she whispered hotly, “you were the only thing that kept me alive for all those years. I was so grateful, I was so happy to be your friend, and you being my friend.  It was all I ever wanted ever since we met on that awful re-education planet.”  
  
Ava stood up and her skin shone with rage. “I loved you. For so long, I loved you! And you end up fucking Wrathia?!”  
  
Her hands shook with barely restrained fury. “I would have done anything for you! You knew this! And you still went with her! Did you hate me that much? Just to spite me?!”  
  
Both Nevy and Magdalai eyed Ava warily, yet sighed in relief as Ava’s head drooped and the light died down. Steam rose from her hair and frame as she took her seat again.  
  
Magdalai snapped her fingers and the illusion vanished, not at all aware of Ava’s wrath.  
  
“Glad we got that out of our system,” Magdalai observed as she went back to her notes, “though, I imagine there’s still a long way to go if you truly want to be able to get out of this bondage you’ve put yourself in.”  
  
“Put myself in?” Ava answered incredulously, “I didn’t want to be emotionally attached to Maggie. I didn’t want to be under Wrathia’s thumb even after our pact completed! This isn’t my fault!”  
  
Magdalai’s confident smile returned in force. “Oh, had I a platinum chip for every time a patient said that, I would have retired five times over by now, but alas.”  
  
Ava started to frown. “I thought you were here to help.”  
  
“I am, however, I can only observe and advise.  It is easy for me to tell you what to do, however, you are not in a position where you want to do anything.  You are perfectly happy being miserable as you are now,” Magdalai stated as a matter of fact.  
  
“How dare you!” Ava roared.  
  
“Oh, Ava,” Magdalai sighed and held her hands open helplessly, “you don’t want to do anything to change because you feel justified in your feelings.  You are not wrong about your state, however, holding a grudge like this isn’t helpful to anyone, least of all, yourself.”  
  
Ava was silent as Magdalai put her notepad aside and stood up.  
  
“Am I wrong?” she asked as she placed her hands behind her back.  
  
Again, Ava’s head hung low as she closed her eyes. “No.  You’re not wrong.”  
  
Magdalai smiled, only to get a side-eye from Nevy with a silent warning not to rub it in.  
  
“Well, if it helps any, at least you’ve gotten through the stages of grief a lot faster than I thought you would,” she made her way to the door, “I’ll return later when you’ve had a chance to consider what we’ve gone over. Ta!”  
  
As the door closed behind her, Ava stood still as Nevy watched her with concern over her features.  
  
“Why do I even bother?” Ava mumbled as she padded towards the room where she had rest the night before.  
  
“For what it’s worth, Ava,” Nevy took a seat beside her, “you’re not alone.”  
  
Ava turned to her as her statement brought back another memory.  
  
*  
  
It had been some time, but Nevy and Ava had developed a rapport in secret. They spoke to each other often and after a rather tense confrontation between Ava and Wrathia, Nevy had asked her bluntly as they sat together at the edge of Ava’s library.  
  
“Wrathia hurt you.  Didn’t she?”  
  
Ava’s hands instinctively reached up her arms in a vain attempt to cover the scars there. She saw the sorrow in Nevy’s eyes and she slowly let her arms unfold again before she nodded.  
  
“She has been with me my whole life,” she tried to keep the bitterness down.  
  
“She made everything wrong.  She ruined everything I had. I was just a kid and she wanted more than I could possibly hope to accomplish!”  
  
Her anger dissipated and she sighed loudly. She knew this whole pact thing would not end well, but she had no choice. It was her only chance.  
  
She blinked when she felt Nevy’s hand take hers and squeeze it gently.  
  
“I’m sorry.” Nevy whispered as though she too felt the pain Ava felt.  
  
She looked to her hand a moment, initially unsure how she felt, however, Nevy was different. Nevy was… her friend  
  
She turned her hand around and clasped Nevy’s.    
  
“It’s ok,” she whispered back as she felt this expression a balm to her wounded soul.  
  
*  
  
“Thank you,” she whispered, “and I’m sorry that bringing all this up may have not done you any favors.”  
  
“It’s alright,” Nevy answered as her hand then layered itself on Ava’s own. “Time dulls the pain, I’ve found.”  
  
Ava hesitated before she said quietly, “it still hurts, though.”  She blinked when she felt Nevy’s weight lean against her, their hands still connected.  
  
“If you are amenable to it, there is a cleansing ceremony priestesses of the Endless Sea can preform to help ease the ache,” she asked with genuine concern for Ava.  
  
“What does it do?”  
  
“In a pool deeper in the temple, we can allow ourselves to let our hearts be one to ease the suffering and know each others’ pain,” she answered quietly.  
  
“But… doesn’t that require me to be a member of the faith or something?” Ava looked up to her.  
  
“The Endless Sea of Stars welcomes all into her embrace whether for their salvation or damnation,” she answered with a wry smile.  
  
Ava snickered. “Well, that’s comforting.”  
  
“And for what it’s worth, you do not need to feel compelled to do this. It has to happen on your terms and on your choice. I will support you no matter what,” Nevy gave her hand a gentle squeeze.  
  
“That’s good to know,” Ava’s gaze went to Nevy’s hands with hers for a moment, “mind if I sleep on it?”  
  
“Not at all,” she stood up and nodded courteously before she turned to her own chambers, “sleep well, Ava.”  
  
“You too.”  
  
*  
  
For half the night, Ava tossed and turned in her bed.  
  
She looked up to the night sky, through the glass and water as thoughts of the previous day’s conversation repeated over and over in her mind.  
  
Did she really want to go through with it? There had been too many instances where she had little to no choice in the matter and it would have been refreshing to say no for a change.  
  
However, a familiar nagging voice at the edge of her consciousness told her that the situations before were always involved with hostile parties, no-win situations, and unwanted regrets.  
  
If this did do what Nevy claimed.  
  
If it did.  
  
Then maybe… it was worth a try?  
  
Well, she thought morosely, it wasn’t like she was going to get another chance at a new life.    
  
If it worked, then great.  If not, then she would lose nothing, because it felt that was all she had. She had been at rock bottom before and she had gotten herself out before.  
  
She then threw off the sheets, got into her traveling clothes, walked with purpose to Nevy’s door, and knocked.  
  
Within moments, Nevy appeared, surprised to see her guest at her door in the middle of the night and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.  
  
“Ava, what’s wrong?”  
  
“Nevy, I know it’s sudden, but can we perform the ceremony? Now?” she asked earnestly, almost desperately.  
  
Nevy noticed this and after a moment’s deliberation, nodded.  
  
“Let’s go.”  
  
*  
  
Both of them, dressed in robes, sat on a dias in another pocket of water, at the edge of the metropolis.  Above them, the stars and the two moons in the the distant geosynchronous orbit were the only witnesses as Ava sat cross legged across from Nevy.  
  
“Gods of Endless Sea of Stars,” Nevy intoned as the bioflux in her robes began to shift, “Thy faithful beseeches Thee.” Much like when Nevy regained her memory, crest on her forehead grew, her robes changed to corals, and her horns and hair flung into the air as though she reached into the unknown.  
  
Ava gasped at the sight when she recalled all too clearly when this happened last. This time, however, she took a breath and closed her eyes as Nevy had instructed not too long before.  
  
Nevy clasped her hands together as both of her rosaries dangled for her hands. “Let the waters of Thy Eternal Truth flood us. Cleanse us. Purify us. By Thy Everlasting Mercy, let us be one in Thy Ever Present Embrace!”  
  
In the middle of the dias, a sphere of blue liquid coalesced from the air and expanded to engulf them both.  
  
Ava felt the viscous thick liquid engulf her, but kept her eyes closed regardless. She found herself able to breathe and waited for Nevy’s signal to open her eyes.  
  
Ava was not sure what she expected until she heard someone.  
  
“Nevy!” Cried a young voice.  Ava could see, in her mind’s eye, a beach on a verdant world. A child emerged from the surf, but not just any child. The red hair, glowing skin, and tiny horns on her scalp left her with an answer.  
  
“Wrathia!” Answered another young voice to reveal Nevy, as a child, leaped into Wrathia and sent them both tumbling into the waves.  
  
They emerged again amid laughter and giggles. Without a care in the world. It made Ava almost envious. It was hard to see Wrathia as something other than her personal tormentor.  
  
Without warning, both the scene and the girls changed.  
  
“Ava! Look!” A young Maggie Lacivi, with brown hair, held up a device in her hand to show an equally young Ava, with auburn hair. It was a start contrast to the women they had grown into.  
  
“What is it?” Young Ava asked as she crawled next to Maggie through the junk pile they were on.  
  
“I don’t know the name, but it takes pictures! Come on!” Young Maggie embraced an embarrassed young Ava and after a flash of light from the device, a photograph emerged from it.  
  
Ava and Maggie giggled at the image together and instantly, they changed shape once more to Nevy and Wrathia.  
  
“Nevy,” the memory of Wrathia asked with her face right next to Nevy’s, “when the time comes, would you be my queen?”  
  
The younger Nevy, eager and full of love for the Vengess, nodded eagerly. “Always.”  
  
“Always,” she repeated again as the memory of Ava and Maggie returned.  
  
“Oh, come on, Maggie!” Ava, with a sinister gleam in her eyes, clearly possessed by Wrathia, chided as she pulled on the reeds around Maggie’s neck harder, “isn’t this fun?”  
  
The real Nevy gasped in horror at the display. She always knew Wrathia had such potential for cruelty, but this was beyond what even she knew of the woman in life.  
  
Immediately, it changed back to young Wrathia and Nevy.  
  
“That’s what you get, you gullible worm!” Wrathia spat as she shoved Nevy to the ground.  
  
“But, but why?!” Young Nevy begged in tears.  
  
“Do I really need a reason?” Wrathia gloated with her hands on her hips and triumphant aura that was oppressive to Ava’s sight.  
  
Nevy wept for a long moment before she changed again to an older Ava, her head was down and she looked embarrassed as she confessed, quietly, “I didn’t want to leave you behind, Maggie.”  
  
The memory of Maggie looked shocked a moment before she folded her arms and sneered, “how pathetic.”  
   
Tears began to flood younger Ava’s eyes as she failed to keep her composure.  
  
She continued to weep until she feel to her knees and then changed once again into an older Nevy in priestess robes, rosary in her hands, and knelt in prayer.  
  
A shadow crawled up to her side. “It is a surety,” Pedri Nanezgani whispered conspiratorially in her ear.  
  
“She has made her choice,” Nevy answered apathetically, “I am not what she desires.”  
  
“Are you so confident in that? You were the one that captured her heart first and foremost,” Pedri persisted, “and now, she may rule, but it is only a symbolic appointment. Her tyrant of a husband has her subservient to him.”  
  
Nevy tried to look away, yet Pedri knelt on her other side. “Imagine how grateful she would be to see you once more, more than her lover, but as her savior.”  
  
Nevy was silent a moment before she turned and the memory became an older Maggie. “You think that makes any difference?” She had her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face, “that was still you that did it, Ava!”  
  
An angry older Ava clenched her fists. “And I am telling you that I never wanted to hurt you, Maggie.  Why are you blaming me for something that Wrathia did?!”  
  
“Because it was YOUR hands that did it! You didn’t care.  You never cared!”  
  
The words stung both the real Nevy and Ava as it image changed again to Nevy’s memory.  
  
When she stood up, she changed again into her gray assassin’s robes, veil, and razor hook.  
  
“She puts on an elaborate show for one in bondage, my love,” Nevy whispered from the shadows.  
  
“Of course, that is what allays peoples’ suspicions,” Pedri answered quietly.  
  
“Hmph,” Nevy scoffed unconvincingly at the sight of Wrathia and her husband as they believed themselves alone in her throne room.  
  
Ava could see the desperation in Nevy’s eyes and her heart broke all the more. She knew all too well.  
  
Again, the scene changed.  
  
“Ava,” Maggie said, her back hunched and her visage morose, “I… I was wrong about a lot of things.”  
  
The memory of Ava looked hopeful as she took a step forward.  
  
The hard look in Maggie’s eyes stopped her in her tracks.  “But I need to go. There’s quite a bit I need to think about.”  
  
Nevy could see she didn’t want Maggie to go. However, there was nothing she could do as the scene changed once again.  
  
“I have to say, Nevy,” Wrathia chuckled on her throne, “you have done me a wonderful service! I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” She stroked the beskulled head of Pedri in her lap as she took another sip from her glass.  
  
“You may leave now,” she stated curtly.  
  
Ava could see the pain and anguish in Nevy’s eyes, also, the desire to lash out upon the realization that she had been used. Again. However, she remained silent, curtsied, and left.  
  
When the vision faded, both of them floated away from the deep waters of their pasts.  
  
“That was the point of this ceremony, wasn’t it? We feel each other’s pain through memory?” Ava asked as she looked up to Nevy.  
  
Nevy nodded. She was no longer the Avatar of the Endless Sea of Stars, but the same Nevy Nervine that had befriended her.  
  
“Yes,” she smiled sadly and took one of Ava’s hands, “some would consider it a bit much, when simply letting you know that I understand all too well what it’s like will do.”  
  
Ava chuckled lightly as she accepted Nevy’s hand in her own.  
  
“But really, I needed this,” she looked up to what may have been a vision of the water’s surface, “I can’t thank you enough.”  
  
She closed her eyes a moment before she looked to Nevy, smiled, and then slowly pulled her into an embrace.  
  
Nevy did not object as her arms wrapped around Ava’s shoulders.  
  
Time stopped for that wonderful moment. It was all either one of them needed.  
  
Ava reached up with one hand and took one of Nevy’s.  She then interlocked her fingers with hers and looked to her for approval.  Nevy nodded and they drew close once again, as if they accepted a closeness they both wanted.  
  
Perhaps it was in the heat of the moment, but Ava leaned forward and kissed Nevy on the lips. What she did not expect was Nevy not only met her halfway, but reciprocated.  
  
This.  This was what they both needed.  
  
“What happens now?” Ava whispered as she lay her head on Nevy’s shoulder.  
  
Nevy pecked Ava’s temple and answered quietly, “we heal together.”  
  
“That sounds nice.”  
  
The dull ache in both of their hearts felt eased as their other arms held each other dearly. Drop by drop, the sphere that held them both began to lose its cohesion. It was not long before all that remained was Ava and Nevy in each others’ arms, indifferent to the fact they were both soaked to the bone.  
  
Ava sighed quietly at the realization that she was still a head shorter than Nevy, yet, she didn’t mind it too much. She leaned into Nevy’s collarbone to emphasize her contentment.  
  
Nevy fought to keep her eyes opened as she muttered, “feeling better?”  
  
“Yes,” Ava mumbled tiredly. She forgot it was still the middle of the night.  Wasn’t it?  
  
“Oh!” Nevy sounded surprised.  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Ava, you’ve changed!”  
  
Ava blinked and turned to the reflection on the side of the chamber to gasp.    
  
Her Vengess horns were gone, replaced with a pair of green coral that jutted out of her forehead. Her skin was darker, but her hair had changed to a vibrant purple. She looked down to her hands to see her hands covered in magenta scales.  
  
“Wait, what happened?” Ava was unsure how shocked she had to be.  
  
“Well,” Nevy held a hand to her chin, “If I recall correctly, you were forced to transform into Vengess when you made your pact with Wrathia, correct?”  
  
She nodded. “I didn’t want to transform into what Wrathia was. I was trapped and had no choice.”  
  
“Hmm,” comprehension lit in Nevy’s face, “well, the ceremony helped you part with that which ailed you. But to transform into a Covetess?”  
  
“Well,” Ava looked to a side, slightly embarrassed, “I mean, you always were pretty. And you were my friend too.  If I had a choice, I would have joined you here a lot sooner than now.”  
  
“I…” now it was Nevy’s turn to be caught by surprise. “I… I am humbled and honored that you would desire that.”  
  
Ava smiled then embraced her again. This was where she belonged.  
  
She looked up and to her surprise, found the dawn had broke. To emphasize the fact that more time passed than they realized, she yawned widely as her exhaustion began to catch up with her.  
  
“Shall we go back?” Nevy offered.  
  
“That would be nice.”  
  
*  
  
It was well past morning when Ava finally stirred.  She looked up to Nevy, still blissfully asleep, and sighed gratefully.  There would have been a time where Ava would have waxed poetic at the sight of someone so beautiful as they slept. Instead, she adjusted herself again to put her head on Nevy’s shoulder. This was enough.  
  
Nevy’s arm had encircled Ava and held her closely, as they did the day before when they spent much more needed time together.  
  
She would have reached up to kiss Nevy on the cheek had she forgot her coral horns, small as they were compared to Nevy’s.  She was a Covetess now.  
  
It was an interesting prospect for Ava to try and process. She had gotten so used to being Vengess that the chance to transform into anything else was never a thought of option.  
  
“Something on your mind, Ava?” Nevy, ever perceptive, asked as she stirred awake.  
  
“Sort of,” Ava then adjusted herself again so she could reach up and kiss Nevy on the cheek, this time with no fear of accidentally sticking Nevy, “I wanted to ask you if it’s ok if I stayed here with you. If you’ll have me, I mean.”  
  
Nevy smiled and hugged her affectionately from under the sheets. “Of course, however, do you have anywhere else to be?”  
  
Ava shrugged as she lay back against the other pillow with her head on her hand. “No.  Over the years, I never really could get too attached to any place in particular. Also, material possessions lost their luster a long time ago for me. What power I had as Vengess afforded me anything I needed.”  
  
Nevy nodded. “In that case, I hope my humble abode will be enough.”  
  
Ava smiled confidently. “I think it will.” She then wrapped her arms around Nevy’s waist to enjoy the warmth from both the bed itself and Nevy.  
  
Nevy reached down took one of Ava’s hands and slowly glided it over her abdomen. Ava looked down a moment, then back to Nevy with a smirk. She leaned in and kissed Nevy for the first of several times as the latter guided her hand downward.  
  
“It’s nice to share a bed with someone, isn’t it?” Nevy whispered as breath became scarce.  
  
“Yeah,” Ava leaned up further as her hand reached the junction in between Nevy’s legs, “even better when it’s someone you really care for.”  
  
Nevy gasped slightly when Ava’s hand reached the collection of nerves at her entrance and began to stroke it slowly. “I take it you’ve had other lovers before?”  
  
Ava held back a snort, but nodded anyway. “Yes. After Titan-Fall, I’ve been with others. Had a few lovers. But most of my relationships didn’t end well, for one reason or another.”  
  
Nevy’s chest rose and fell as she breathed faster. “Well, their loss, I suppose.”  
  
“After as many disappointing encounters as I have, I hope you’ll forgive me for being admittedly lonely,” Ava leveled her eyes.  
  
“It’s perfectly fine,” Nevy answered as she kissed Ava again as sweat gathered on her forehead, “However, if you don’t mind my asking; who else have you thrown your lot in with?”  
  
As Ava’s strokes grew faster, she shrugged, “Believe it or not, Strategos Six was the first.”  
  
Nevy blinked a moment before her she rose her hips to push against Ava’s hand. “Oh, Six? I would not have expected that.  I would have thought you and Odin would have hit it off at some point.”  
  
 Ava paused. “Odin was a good friend.  Much like you. However, the difference was that his priorities were to his world and his family.”  
  
“Understandable,” Nevy fought to say as she felt her edge draw near.    
  
“You, on the other hand; were there for me. And, I admit, you were the most beautiful person I had ever seen when we first met. Even before you got your memories back,” Ava resumed her attention on Nevy and not a moment too soon, Nevy arched her back happily and shivered as pleasure sped through her veins.  
  
“Flatterer,” Nevy coyly between deep breaths as she answered before she kissed Ava again.  
  
“It’s still true,” Ava answered as she brought her hand up to trace circles around Nevy’s navel.  
  
Nevy idly played with the hairs by Ava’s ear as she kissed her lover again and again.  
  
“Six and I were together for almost a century before his body inevitably shut down.  Out of all my failed romances, I remember them the most fondly,” Ava paused again, solemn at the memory.  
  
“As acerbic as they could be at times, I am glad they were there for you,” Nevy leaned over and pecked Ava’s temple.  
  
“Others were not as pleasant, and honestly, they pretty much paled in comparison to Six and you,” Ava swung a leg up and over Nevy, then crawled up to kiss her again, face to face.  
  
“But, you and I just began this,” Nevy held Ava’s face gingerly as she kissed Ava again, “considering how long your other previous bonds were, I still have a lot to prove.”  
  
Ava smirked a bit before she started to crawl up Nevy’s torso. “Not exactly.  I’ve known you for years. First as an ally, then a friend, then confidant. It’s a risk of my own I’m ready to take.”  
  
Nevy giggled as Ava placed her knees around Nevy’s head, which gave her a clear access to Ava’s entrance. “Considering what I’ve experienced, I can relate.”  
  
Ava reached down to stroke Nevy’s chin, “so, what convinced you? I mean, the kind of emotional baggage I carry has not made me the most appealing of companions.”  
  
Nevy reached up and caressed Ava’s hips and bottom. “Well, hmm, for one, you understand what it was like. Another; I grew fond of you when you and I actually started again on speaking terms.”  
  
“I did like the conversations we had when we had the chance to talk,” Ava reached up to hang onto the headboard.  
  
“As did I,” she adjusted herself so Ava would still be comfortable in her position, “that being said, I request your permission to bask in your Low Tide.”  
  
Ava stopped a moment and blinked.  “Wait, that’s what it’s called?”  
  
Nevy shrugged. “Nobody ever said the Covetess were subtle when it came to intimacy.”  
  
Ava laughed a bit and was subsequently joined by Nevy as they relished each other's company.  
  
“Oh, um, yes, you can, uh, bask in my Low Tide, or however it goes,” Ava answered, slightly embarrassed.  
  
“Thank you, Ava,” Nevy reached up and started to lavish more attention on the collection of nerves.  
  
“I should be thanking you,” Ava gasped, her now changed body responding certainly different than her time as a Vengess.  
  
Nevy paused briefly. “Whatever for?”  
  
Ava’s gaze didn’t falter as she looked to Nevy, with her hair a waterfall around her head, with gratitude. “For everything. Ever since I found Maggie with Wrathia, I was wondering what to do. If there was anything I could do.”  
  
“You’re most welcome.” She then returned to her attention Ava’s entrance, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply of the scent. Ava fought against the quiver in her hips as they met Nevy’s attention and hurried her own breathing.  
  
Nevy moaned happily into Ava as each kiss sent a spark up the latter’s spine. For both of them, each point of contact felt something they had both lost had been reclaimed. Something wonderful.  
  
Pure bliss flooded Ava’s senses when she met her edge and her body quaked.  Her hands against the headboard were all that prevented her from tumbling forward and into the wall, which would have been awkward.  
  
Reluctantly, both of them disengaged as Ava crawled back down, her breaths long and satisfied.  
  
Nevy guided her back onto the bed, at her side, and pulled the sheets back up to give them the warmth they wanted to maintain.  
  
Their arms around each other, Nevy sighed contentedly as Ava curled against her.  
  
“When I get the chance, I’ll need to speak with Magpie again,” Ava murmured tiredly.  
  
Nevy turned to her, curious. “Whatever for?”  
  
“I think I’ve finally found my answer.”  
  
Nevy smiled and held her close. “Good.”  
  
*  
  
“Interesting,” Magdalai tilted her head to the side curiously, “you don’t seem as stressed out as last time. I suppose it has to do with your metamorphosis.”  
  
“Yes,” Ava nodded, “I had a chance to think things over and, well, you were right.”  
  
Magdalai resisted the urge to ask ‘aren’t I always?’, but smirked nonetheless.  
  
“So, that said, could, um, could you bring back that illusion of Maggie for me, please?” she asked directly.  
  
Magdalai blinked, shrugged, then snapped her fingers to restore the illusion she had created not too long ago.  
  
Ava stood up from her chair and looked directly at the image for a moment before she spoke.  
  
“Maggie. You were everything to me. I’ll always be grateful for what we had. So,” she began to sniff, “now, I am going to do the hardest thing that I can do and something I hoped to never do.”  
  
Nevy, who sat at the other side of the room, closed her eyes and listened.  
  
“Maggie,” Ava fought to let the words come out, “I wanted us to be something, you didn’t. You were never mine to lose. And so,” she took a deep breath,  “I forget you. I’m letting you go. I’m sorry, Maggie.”  
  
Ava wiped the tears from her eyes as Nevy stood up and embraced her.  
  
Magdalai hummed before she snapped her fingers and the illusion vanished again. “Interesting.”  
  
Ava regained her composure in Nevy’s embrace a moment before she turned to Magdalai and asked, “so, am I better?”  
  
“It’s a start,” Magdalai said as she stood up as well, “I would like to see you a few more times before I can safely say that you’ve improved, but that’s normal.”  
  
She exited Nevy’s embrace a moment before she took Magdalai’s hand. “Thank you,” Ava said.  
  
Magdalai nodded professionally, not being one for sentiment before she took her leave.    
  
“So,” Ava asked as she stood beside Nevy to watch the sun break through the clouds above the water, “what do we do next?”  
  
Nevy smiled pleasantly as she took Ava’s hand in her own. “Whatever we want.”

**Author's Note:**

> Been wanting to write an exclusive Adult!Ava/Nevy story for a while. And recent chapters of the comic that shows both Ava and Nevy suffering emotional wounds because of Wrathia gave me this idea. 
> 
> As for Maggie and Wrathia... well, poor life decisions and all that. But then again, that seems to be the theme of the entire cast, anyway. XD


End file.
